Friday, December 9, 2016

We are in the heart of the holiday season, and most of us
have one eye on Christmas even as we go about our daily tasks.We shop, cook and bake, plan gatherings and
parties, decorate, and send greeting cards.It is a time of preparation!In
the midst of our busyness, though, I think one of the most important ways that
we can prepare for Christmas is to consider how God prepared for
Christmas.Please join me in a brief
journey through Scripture to observe a few highlights of God’s preparation.

In the Bible, the story of Christmas begins well before the
Gospel accounts of Jesus’s birth.It
starts even before Genesis.We read in
Ephesians that our salvation in Christ is established before the foundation of
the world (Ephesians 1:4).Our
all-knowing, time-transcendent God starts to prepare for Christmas even before
He creates the earth—and us!

We read in Genesis the very familiar account of the
creation, of the Godhead working in concert to create—out of nothing—this
glorious planet and the living things on it.By the third chapter we read of the fall, of the broken relationship
between God and the man and his wife.But as God pronounces the consequences of their pride-driven choice, He
also offers a glimpse of His redemption plan: sometime, somewhere, Eve’s seed—Christ,
God Incarnate—will crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15).

Generation after sinful generation follow, to the point
where we read that the violence and Godlessness among mankind cause God to
regret His creating them (Genesis 6:6).But still God prepares for Christmas.He calls Noah to build the ark and then saves him and his family as the
remnant through whom Eve’s Seed would come.

Generations after Noah, through Noah’s son Shem, Abram is
born.God calls Abram and establishes
His covenant with Abram, promising to make a great nation through Abram and to
bless all families of the earth through him (Genesis 12:2-3).God uses Abram to introduce the concept of
righteousness by faith, and it is through Abram that we meet Melchizedek, the
mysterious high priest of God Most High, a priest whose ministry is apart from
the Law that is to come and who is forerunner of Christ.

God continues to prepare for Christmas.As He renames Abram Abraham and Sarai Sarah,
He empowers them to have a son, Isaac.Isaac and Rebekah have Jacob and Esau, and again, we see God’s careful
preparation as He chooses the younger son, Jacob, to bear the covenant
forward.The story of Jacob and Esau
does not make for pleasant reading, and the ugliness continues among Jacob’s
twelve sons.But God is not deterred,
and His preparation for Christmas continues.He uses Jacob’s 11th son, Joseph, to keep His chosen people
alive in the midst of famine, and as Jacob—called Israel by God—dies, his
blessing of Judah contains a prophetic glimpse of Christ the Messiah: “The
scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his
feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

The Hebrew people demonstrate an appreciation for their
heritage as the people of God, and even as they endure centuries of slavery in
Egypt, careful record of tribes is kept.When God finally calls Moses to lead His people out of Egypt, Judah’s
descendants are among those rescued.After
40 years in the wilderness, He calls Joshua to lead them into the Promised
Land.God’s plan for Christmas includes
a place as well as a people.

The Hebrew people are not particularly good at being God’s
people, even after God has established them as a nation.Even King David, the man after God’s own
heart, commits adultery and murder.But King David’s flaws do not distract God
from His plans.We read in Psalm 89 of
the LORD’s covenant with David, and His promise to establish His throne by a
descendant of David, who is, of course of the tribe of Judah.What is truly extraordinary is that in
revealing a bit of His Christmas plans to David, God also gives future
generations—and us—substance upon which His Messiah can be recognized.

As Hebrew history continues, the prophets are given glimpses
of the coming Messiah.Isaiah announces
Immanuel born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), and he speaks at length of God’s plan
to bring to His people the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace who as a descendant of David will rule for all eternity (Isaiah
9).Jeremiah communicates a word of
encouragement from the LORD, that He will make a new covenant with His people
and that His plans for them are for a future and for hope (Jeremiah
29:11).Micah reinforces the Davidic
line of the promised Seed in proclaiming that the coming Savior would be born
in Bethlehem, David’s place of birth.And again, the prophet’s words give those who heard them hope and give future generations assistance
in recognizing the Messiah so that they could celebrate Christmas.

God’s plans for Christmas become increasingly detailed and
specific as the moment approaches.He
breaks through a lifetime of infertility and the limited faith of Zechariah as
He sends Gabriel to announce to Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth that she will
conceive the forerunner to the Messiah.Six months later, He sends Gabriel to Mary to announce that she is the
chosen bearer of the awaited One.Shortly after, God communicates with Mary’s betrothed Joseph via an
unnamed angel to assure him that Mary’s highly unusual pregnancy is of His doing.And sure enough, Mary and Joseph are descendants
of King David.

As history’s clock ticks, God moves in the heart of the
Roman Emperor to declare a census that requires Joseph and Mary to travel from
their hometown of Nazareth to Bethlehem just before it is time for her to give
birth.Legions of angels await the
opportunity to proclaim the great event.And then it happens, a real event in real time, orchestrated by an
eternal God.The Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, and Luke record the first Christmas, and we see the fruit of God’s
preparations.The long-promised and
highly anticipated Messiah has come!His
natal star bears witness to this great event so that we see confirmation in the
form of the three Magi who arrive probably a year or two later to worship the
newborn King.

God’s preparations for Christmas have been concluded, but as
we read further in these Gospel accounts and beyond in the New Testament, we see
that the birth of Christ is only the beginning of the great plan.Approximately 30 years after that first
Christmas, Christ, the Lamb of God, takes away the sin of the world by dying on
the cross.Redemption has indeed been
accomplished but not yet completed.We learn
that God is not yet done with His preparative work.While His plans to reveal the Messiah at the
first advent of Christ have been accomplished and Christ’s saving work on the
cross is finished, we know that He continues to plan and work toward the second
advent of Christ, when the redemptive work of Christ will come to its full
fruition, and the eternal reign of Christ will begin.

So as we continue to scurry and plan, may we turn thankful
hearts to the Lord of our Christmas feast and joyfully appreciate His loving
preparation on our behalf.And may we
also remember that God continues to prepare for the second advent of Christ and
remain alert in eager and confident anticipation.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

'Tis the season...to prepare for Christmas. As we hurry through our days, driven by our expanding "To Do" lists, I am reminded of a sentiment voiced by many marriage counselors: "I so wish that this couple would have spent as much time and energy on preparing for a strong marriage as they did on preparing for a grand wedding."

The same can be said for Christmas. May we spend as much time preparing our hearts to receive Christ in a deeper and more meaningful way as we do in purchasing gifts, decorating our homes, and baking goodies.

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Beloved in Christ, in this season of Advent, let it be our care and delight to prepare ourselves to hear again the message of the Angels, and in heart and mind to go even unto Bethlehem, to see the Babe lying in the manger.

Let us read and mark in Holy Scripture the tale of the loving purposes of God from the first days of our disobedience unto the glorious Redemption brought us by this holy Child; and let us look forward to the yearly remembrance of His birth with hymns and songs of praise.

The Almighty God bless us with His grace; Christ give us the joys of everlasting life; and unto the fellowship of the citizens above may the King of Angels bring us all. Amen.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

As we head into November, it is appropriate and helpful to
think about thanksgiving, the giving of thanks, the cultivation of a grateful
heart.I would like to start by
considering an interesting passage:

And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in
themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men
went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector.The Pharisee stood and was
praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people:
swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a
week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’But
the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up
his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to
me, the sinner!’I tell you, this man
went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts
himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”(Luke 18:9-14).

Here we see a devoutly religious man giving thanks.What could be wrong with that?Jesus explains that his thanks fall short
because his prayer of thanksgiving is self-focused rather than God focused.The Pharisee’s thanksgiving is about his
feeling good about himself.The tax
collector knew that he had no cause to feel good about himself, and his prayer
is God-focused.And it is in this
culturally-despised sinner that God takes pleasure.

I think we can learn a great deal from this passage.Not all thanksgiving is created equal!The giving of thanks is much more than
finding things for which to be thankful.While it is not inappropriate to thank God for our health, families,
homes, and jobs, the real “rubber meets the road” issue is that of
context.Do we see our health, families,
homes, and jobs as products of our hard work and effort.? Or do we, like the
tax collector in our story, genuinely realize that we can earn nothing before
God and that even as we see good in our labor, it is the gift of God
(Ecclesiastes 3:13)?

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to come before God and to ask
Him to reveal Himself to us.And then,
as we catch a glimpse of who He is, we can begin to see who we are before
Him—unworthy and empty-handed but blessed by His mercy, grace, love, and all of
His abundant provision.Then we are
truly in a position to give thanks and glorify God.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Saturday, October 8, 2016

Contrast helps us to see better, more clearly.Contrast also helps our minds to
differentiate that which is true from that which is false.Writers often use contrast to illustrate a
principle or a point and to convince readers of their position.The Apostle Paul often uses contrast to make
the truth he is communicating easier and more accessible to his readers.His letters are chock full of contrasts meant
to teach, encourage, exhort, and admonish his them.

I would like to take a brief look at such a passage.I believe that Paul’s use of contrast can
inform our thinking and open our hearts and minds to God’s sanctifying
work.

Please consider with me Ephesians 4:31:“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and
clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander,
and malice all deal with our relationships with others, and Paul’s words remind
us that becoming like Christ inside
will affect our behavior on the outside.In the next verse we read, “Be kind to one
another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has
forgiven you.”Paul has set before us
two paths, one toward love, peace, and Godliness, and the other toward tension,
strife, and godlessness.

Paul is writing to believers, about their corporate life as
the body of Christ.At first glance, his
admonitions seem unnecessary—why would believers foster hurt and resentment
instead of opting for forgiveness and a more gentle approach to their spiritual
brothers and sisters?But I have been
living and ministering in the church for enough decades to know that Paul’s
words are painfully relevant.As
self-focused sinners, it is all too easy to nurse the offenses we have
encountered and seek to protect ourselves from those who have hurt us.

One of the things that this contrast emphasizes is that
these two sets of relational attitudes are mutually exclusive.We cannot be angry, bitter, and malicious
while at the same time practicing forgiveness and exercising kindness.And herein lies an important clue to taking
Paul’s words to heart.Because we are
sinners living and working with other sinners, we cannot avoid pain and hurt,
anger and resentment.But if we exercise
forgiveness and maintain a focus on God’s grace and mercy towards us, we will
be able to love even in our pain and anger.We cannot deeply change our feelings merely by an act of will, but we
can direct our will toward the redemptive work of forgiveness.And forgiveness will then enable us to offer
others—even and especially those who have hurt us—tender hearts.

There is another blessing to be found in the point and
counterpoint of this passage.While the
approaches described in these two verses are mutually exclusive, Paul’s words
can represent an encouraging picture of cause and effect: as we put away
bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice, we are more able to
exercise forgiveness, approach others with a tender heart, and treat others
with genuine kindness.And then as we
forgive, cultivate a tender heart, and deal kindly with others, we find it
easier to resolve our negative emotions and put aside hostility.

I am very well aware that I desperately need to be forgiven
and treated with gentleness and kindness.And, I very much want to offer that to others.May we take Paul’s words to heart and be
richly blessed.

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Summer, 2016 is coming to an end.I have long ago recognized that the concept
of the lazy days of summer is unrealistic, but I do appreciate the more relaxed
schedule and opportunities for outdoor activities that summer offers.As we enter the Fall season of back to school
and back to ministry, I am afraid that I sometimes “fall” into a
“back-to-the-grind” mindset.But I am
coming to understand that the Lord wants more—and better—for me.

Please consider with me a passage in C.S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.King Caspian of Narnia, along with his crew
and Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace from our world, have sailed on a long journey
from Narnia.They have accomplished
Caspian’s mission to find the missing Lords who served his father, but they
have not yet sailed to the end of the world.Many of Caspian’s sailors are tired and want to rest and then return
home to Narnia as soon as possible.But
sailing to the end of the world is an opportunity not to be taken lightly.As his sailors begin to grumble and groan at
the prospect, please listen along with them as Caspian speaks:

“’Friends,’ he said.‘I think you have not quite understood our
purpose.You talk as if we had come to
you with our hat in our hand, begging for shipmates.It isn’t like that at all.We…have an errand to the world’s edge.It is our pleasure to choose from among such
of you as are willing those whom we deem worthy of so high an
enterprise….’‘Aslan’s mane!’ he
exclaimed.‘Do you think that the
privilege of seeing the last things is to be bought for a song?’”

It seems to me that continuing, returning, or beginning
ministry endeavors is much the same as sailing to the end of the world with
King Caspian.It may demand much of us,
but the reward far outweighs that demand.We don’t have to do
ministry.We get to do ministry.A friend
of mine, a thoughtful pastor in the Bible belt, commented to me recently that
he likes to say that they don’t use people to do ministry but rather they use
ministry to do people.Ministry is an
opportunity to partake in the nature of Christ and participate in His kingdom
purposes.It is a powerful tool for the
Lord to make us more fit for heaven as we use His gifts in relationship with
one another.It is a high calling and
not to be taken lightly.

As we enter this new season, may we approach ministry
opportunities as a glorious, heaven-sent invitation to join our Lord’s work in
preparation for His party.